Alloy and process of making the same



Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER L. F'EILD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRO METALLURGICAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ALLOY AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to a new alloy preferably low'in carboncontaining as essential components copper and zirconiun i and to a process of preparing the same. lhe process embodies the mixing and melting together of copper and zirconiunrcontainingmaterial or the addition of zirconiun'i-containing material to a bath of copper or vice versa One of theobjects of my invention is the production of an alloy capable of use as anaddition agent in the treatment of, steel and other ferrous alloys where it is desired that the finished product shall contain copper. By adding copper in the form of a copper z rconium alloy the beneficial deoxidizing properties of zirconium are utilized and, it desired, the addition can be so regulated as to introduce a predeteri'nined amount of zirconium into the finished product.

It is to be understood, however, that my new alloy is not limited in use to processes of making ferrous alloys but may also be used in alloying processes involving non-ferrous alloys. s

The proportions of copper and zirconium may be varied through a wide range depending upon the particular use involved and the materials available for preparation of the alloy. For example, alloys with a range of zirconium of from 1% to 30% with copper constituting the principal other element of the alloy are adapted for the purpose n tended. I However, I do not consider my 1nvention limited to this range since even a larger proportion of zirconium with a corresponding decrease in the copper content may be used. The essential thing is that copper and zirconium-shall, when taken together, constitute the principal part of the alloy.

In alloying copper and zirconium difficulty has been experienced due to the fact that manv zirconium-containing alloys are insoluble or only indiflerently soluble in copper. Therefore choice has to be made of an alloy which will not only dissolve n copper but also not carry into the resulting alloy constituents undesirable with respect to the use to which the alloy is to be put. An alloy, among others, which I have found to be suited for this purpose contains predominately zir- Application filed October 25, 1924. Serial No. 745,929.

conium and aluminum with usually minor amounts of iron and silicon as in'ipurities. VYhen such an alloy is used as the source of zirconium in preparing a zirconium copper alloy necessarily a substantial amount of aluminum is introduced. However, for

many purposes the presence of aluminum is advantageous. Iron and silicon. on the other hand, are to be regarded as impurities and where their presence is to be avoided the alloying material may be chosen with this end in View.

A low-carbon alloy, highly crystalline in character, has been prepared by first producmg a coherent alloy of zirconium and aluminum in predominating proportions. with minor amounts of iron and silicon, and then introducing this alloy into a superheated bath of copper.- The resulting alloy contained 63.47% copper, 10.59% zirconium, 4.67% aluminum, 4.43"!) silicon, and 0.07% carbon, the balance consisting principally of iron. By the term superheated is meant a bath of copper which is heated considerably above the melting point and preferably to from 1500 to 1600 C.

The copper may be melted in a graphite crucible and the zirconium aluminum alloy tapped into the copper in the molten condition directly from the furnace in which prepared or else introduced in the cold state. It is also within the scope of my. invention to add the copper to a bath of a zirconium-containing alloy.

Alloys, either ferrous or non-ferrous, containing copper and/or zirconium prepared by the use of my new alloying addition are characterized by more uniform physical properties and greater freedom from oxide inclusions and other similar impurities.

Obviously some modifications of my invention as herein described may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not wish to be limited to the exact method I alloying aluminum and zirconium and tapping the alloy thus prepared directly from the furnace into a bath of molten copper.

3. The method of preparing a zirconiumcopper allo which comprises alloying zirconium wit aluminum and then incorporatin copper. Y

n testimony whereof, Iaflizr my signature.

ALEXANDER L. FEILD. 

